


Turn to Dust

by adritae



Series: Irondad and Spiderson [2]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Flashbacks, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, I refuse to accept him as dead, Major Character Death (Flashback), Nightmares, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, One Shot, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Peter Parker, Temporary Character Death, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Lives, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, one (1) swear, why do i do this to my boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 19:41:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20197069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adritae/pseuds/adritae
Summary: "Panic rising, Tony turned, expecting to see Peter staring terrified at him, hands turning to dust and the face of the boy he had grown to love as a son dissolving before him.What he saw, however, managed to be worse. Peter's eyes did stare at him in terror, as he had predicted, but his hands did not turn to ash. Instead, they clutched at the purple curling around his relatively small neck. Thanos stood, a disgusting smirk on his disgusting face as he head Peter out by his throat, turning the boy so that Tony could see every emotion to flicker through the- his kid's eyes. The purple monster held Peter out like a prize, like a trophy that proved his accomplishments, proved the fact that he had won."





	Turn to Dust

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of feels ok.  
Some Irondad hurt/comfort  
I see a lot of Tony comforting Peter  
I was craving some Peter comforting Tony  
Give my boys hugs please.

For a while, it was silent. Distant noises were faded and the group stood together amongst the rubble of Titan, processing what had just happened. The silence remained until Mantis' voice finally rose up, uncertain with a hint of fear.

"Something's happening," she said, gaining the others' full attentions. They merely looked at her confused, watching the dust curl around her feet and wrap around her- wait, no, that dust was her. Tony stared in shock as Mantis' legs vanished from underneath her, her shoulders crumbling and fading into ash that swept by Quill. Quill's arm still remained, as if frozen where it was wrapped around her. Before they could process what had just occurred, another quiet voice spoke up.

"Quill?" It was a whisper, a sharp contrast to the headstrong man Tony had met before. He could hear the terror in his voice. Drax stared at his hand fading into a blue dust and at it making its way up his arm and body before he vanished completely.

Quill gaped, horror written all over his face as his eyes remained locked on where his friend had once stood. Finally, his head turned back to Tony. Tony could see the panic flashing in his eyes, Quill seeming to be on the verge of hyperventilation.

Tony looked right back at him, trying to find some way to remedy this - this situation. "Steady, Quill," his voice sounded, sounding a lot more stable than Tony currently was. The dread and fear grew in his stomach as Quill let out a quiet, "Oh, man," before he too succumbed to the same fate as his friends.

"Tony," the level voice behind him made him turn. "There was no other way."

Strange looked at him almost sadly, reservation and almost sympathy in his eyes. His face stayed steady as it fell apart, the wizard gone in a matter of seconds.

Tony waited for his own hands to dissolve, his own chest to disintegrate. This couldn't be real, it just couldn't. They were the Avengers, they always won. Thanos can't have snapped. Maybe he hit his head too hard and this was all some crazy concussion dream. Maybe he'd be shaken awake by the kid as he-

Shit.

The kid.

Tony never knew that a 15 year-old saying his name would break his heart into pieces, but a tiny, choked and wavering "Mr. Stark," made his entire world stop.

God no. Please no.

Not him, please not him.

Panic rising, Tony turned, expecting to see Peter staring terrified at him, hands turning to dust and the face of the boy he had grown to love as a son dissolving before him.

What he saw, however, managed to be worse. Peter's eyes did stare at him in terror, as he had predicted, but his hands did not turn to ash. Instead, they clutched at the purple curling around his relatively small neck. Thanos stood, a disgusting smirk on his disgusting face as he held Peter out by his throat, turning the boy so that Tony could see every emotion to flicker through the- his kid's eyes. The purple monster held Peter out like a prize, like a trophy that proved his accomplishments, proved the fact that he had won.

"You could have stopped this, Stark," Thanos said smoothly, seemingly uncaring of the fact that he had a teenager strangling in his grasp. "If you were better, you could have taken me down earlier. Fortunately for me, the great "Tony Stark" is actually quite weak."

Tony felt bile rise up in his throat, but swallowed it quickly as he took a cautious step towards the man that held one of the greatest things to ever happen to him. "Please," he croaked. "Kill me, take me instead. He's only fifteen, let him go." He was beyond caring that he was begging at this point- it was his pride or his son. Thanos seemed to be considering it, eyes looking up slightly before looking back down at Tony.

"No," He said, and he squeezed.

His grip tightened around Peter's neck, gradually curling more and more in. Peter's eyes bulged, wide with terror. He tried to gasp for air, but failed as fingers crushed his windpipe. Tony was barely aware of the screaming he heard until his throat began to ache. It was only then that he realized that the screaming was his own. Nevertheless, he didn't stop yelling, pleading and begging Thanos to stop. But, the monster didn't. He just gripped the boy's neck harder and harder until a sickening crack sounded throughout the area.

At once, all fear vanished from Peter's eyes. All fight fell from his body as his arms went limp and dropped down to his sides. His chest stopped heaving and he was flung unceremoniously to the ground. Tony, body on autopilot, fell to his knees beside Peter's body and felt for his neck.

"This is the price of your incompetence, Stark." Thanos said simply.

The pulse was there, but weak and quickly fading. Tony felt the tears gather in his eyes as his world collapsed. It was too late. There were medical supplies on the Milano, but for a snapped neck? There was no chance, and Tony knew it. He curled in on himself, head hanging over Peter as he felt the pulse grow slower with each passing second.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please. Kid, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," His rambling continued as the beats beneath his fingers slowed and then stopped. When no beat came, Tony let the tears fall down his face.

"You should be sorry."

Tony's head whipped around to the voice, painfully familiar. Standing where Thanos once stood was Peter, a line of large bruises around his neck and blood dripping from his mouth. He gazed coldly into Tony's eyes, and Tony felt as though ice had started to freeze his insides. The Peter before him spoke again, an edge to his voice that cut through Tony like a knife.

"You could have saved me. You could have done more. Why did you let him kill me?" The voice was rising with every passing moment. "You were right there, you could have done more, Mr. Stark. I didn't want to go, why didn't you do anything!"

The voice began to echo loudly, sounding like several as Tony clutched his hands over his ears, breathing heavily and trying to stop the heaving of his chest.

"Why, Mr. Stark?"

"Please." he begged.

"Mr. Stark."

"I'm sorry."

"Mr. Stark?"

"No…"

"Tony!"

And his eyes flew back open.

* * *

Peter yawned as his bare feet moved across the cold tile of the kitchen. He opened the fridge, blindly reaching for whatever he could find.

He hated his metabolism sometimes. He couldn't even count how many times it had woken him up in the middle of the night, and tonight would just be one more tally. An apple in his hand, he looked at the clock on the island.

2:30, it read.

Sighing, Peter shuffled back to his room. He and May had been staying at Stark Tower with Tony, Pepper, and Morgan (Who Peter adored so much he couldn't believe). After they had been brought back, they found that their apartment was given to another family, so they had no place to live. Tony, having such a big soft spot for Peter, suggested right away that they stay at the Tower. Eventually, after Peter and May trying to refuse and not intrude on the Starks, they gave up after it became clear that Tony wasn't going to budge.

As he walked back in to his room, he noticed a light flashing on the corner of his nightstand. Walking closer, he saw the distress signal he had put in his watch going off. That signal only went off if either Ned, May, Tony, or Morgan were in trouble. Heart jumping to his throat, he grabbed his watch and hit the signal, wide awake.

"Karen, what is it? What's happened?" he whisper-shouted into the watch. Karen responded, and Peter made sure to lower the volume so that it wouldn't wake up the whole house.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y has informed me of severe distress coming from Mr. Stark's room. As per your "Tony Stop Being A Selfless Dumbass" Protocol, I was informed due to Mrs. Stark being unavailable."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows, thanking Karen. What was happening in Mr. Star- Tony's room? Concerned, he made his way to the door, walking as quietly as possible down the hall to the master bedroom.

Slowly, he opened the door. Tony was thrashing, sweat running down his face and his hands clutched as his sheets. Peter hurried to his side. He was obviously having some sort of night terror, but it was Pepper who usually handled this kind of stuff. But, Pepper was in Milan on a business trip right now.

Peter cautiously lowered his hands to Tony's shoulders, gently shaking him. "Mr. Stark." he whispered, waiting for some response. When none came except for a quiet "I'm sorry", he tried again, "Mr. Stark?" his shaking became more vigorous as Tony thrashed even more, a broken "No." falling from Tony's mouth. "Tony!" he all but yelled. For a single moment, he thought that May and Morgan could have heard him, before he remembered that the master bedroom was soundproof.

Tony sprang awake, instantly sitting up and gasping for air. His eyes were wild, darting all over the place. He clutched his chest, breaths heaving. Peter moved so that the man could see him. Tony finally looked at him, gaze still panicked but gaining recognition.

"Tony? Can you hear me?" Peter whispered. After a moment, Tony nodded, eyes closing as he shook, hand coming up to cover his mouth.

Peter's eyes widened at the tremors wracking through Tony's body. "Are you going to throw up?" he asked, ready to sprint to the bathroom to get a bucket if need be. Tony shook his head, lowering his hand and fighting the trembling.

"N-No, I'm okay." He croaked, dragging his hands through his hair.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Peter asked.

Tony breathed deeply. "It was just a bad dream, kiddo, no need to worry." He finally looked up at Peter. "Go back to sleep, bambino. I'm fine."

Peter frowned. "Tony that looked like more than just a bad dream."

"It's not your responsibility to look after me, kiddo. I can handle this myself."

"Yeah, no." Peter shook his head. "Scooch over, old man."

Before Tony could say anything more, Peter had already gotten himself under the covers, curling up right next to mentor/father figure, and wrapped his arms around Tony like a koala. The billionaire just gaped at the kid for a moment before allowing a fond smile to shine through. He wrapped an arm around Peter's waist protectively, and closed his eyes.

Drifting off into sleep, Tony felt the shaking slow, and his heart start to settle. The trauma would never leave, he knew that from experience. But for now, he focused on the kid currently snuggled up to him. His mind drifted from the pain and terror of Titan to the comforting presence of his living, breathing protege beside him.

_His son._

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT 8/11/19: I only just realized I made Peter's death in the nightmare similar to how Maria Stark died (i.e choking). That wasn't intentional but I mean that just makes it more angsty.


End file.
